Page 54 of Visions in Blood
“Whoever has the biggest guns,” Ginger chimed in.
He shrugged.“For humans, yes.For shifters, they built packs and hierarchies.Vampires have their Houses and the Council.But it’s all the same.Concerned for what might become another century of war, when I came of age to choose my own path, I wanted to be prepared to protect our knowledge and history.I begged my father to send me to a House where I could become a warrior.”
“I bet he wasn’t happy about that.”Ginger had obviously spent enough time with Lucas to weasel out his story.We were way overdue for a drink night.
“No, but I think he knew he’d lost me years before that.And rather than face my mother, who protected her children, especially where their hearts led them, he sent me to House Lafitte.”
“Not the House Trelane?”I had just assumed.
“That is a story for another time.”
All eyes turned to where Devon leaned against the doorframe, impeccably dressed in a three-piece, chestnut-colored suit that emphasized the golden highlights in his hair.The light-blue shirt drew out the deeper shade of his sapphire gaze, and my insides melted to goo.I pushed down thoughts of the hard muscles beneath all that cloth and caught my tongue before I licked my lips.Good grief, where was a fan when I needed one.
“When no one came to my office, per my request, I decided to see where my errant family had strayed.”
Lucas jumped up.“Sorry, Devon…”
He waved a hand and strode to where we sat.“Don’t bother.I can see you were outnumbered.”His lips twitched as he pulled a chair over that was a match to the one I sat in.While I had to drag mine, his movements made the heavy-wooded chair seem as light as a plastic patio chair.I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to that.
Lucas settled back in his chair.“I was showing them the map of the libraries, and we got sidetracked.”
“It seems a fitting place to discuss a different library and our next mission.”Devon glanced at the map as if to confirm which one it was before he sat back.
“This is where everyone went.”Simone, dressed in an indigo caftan, her hair dyed to match, strolled in, and Lucas stood to offer his chair.She took the seat while Lucas brought over another one.“I confess I didn’t search that far; you can hear the laughter all the way to the solarium.”
Ginger stared at Simone, her mouth half opened.The only thing missing was the drool.It hadn’t occurred to me she hadn’t officially met Simone.The only time they’d been together was at the ambush at our old apartment, and Ginger hadn’t been in the best shape to remember who’d been there.
If Simone was aware of Ginger’s ogling, she didn’t show it, but she had to be used to people staring.It was something vamps did frequently to my great annoyance having been on the receiving end more times than I could count.
“I asked Lucas to take over the hunt for theDe første dage, which I should have done from the beginning.And now we know where it might be.”
I leaned forward, taking a closer look at the different sections of the library, but if I’d been expecting to see labels like philosophy, science, fiction, or cooking like a human book store, I was out of luck.Those beautifully colored symbols appeared to reflect the contents of the various areas.If there was a legend to translate them, I didn’t see it.
“I think you’ll find it in the rare book collection.”Lucas tapped his knuckle in an area on the third sublevel.The symbol looked like some ancient bird.
“Rare books?Aren’t they all rare?”I surmised the vamps were still recording history, but considering how long they lived, I’d assumed the majority of the books were ancient.
“The levels are arranged in a couple different ways, but one is by the age of the books.Books written over seven hundred years ago that aren’t still considered popular are housed in the rare book section.The third sublevel is the farthest the general members can browse.The lower floors include the massive inventory that are cycled through the main library displays, restoration areas, research labs, offices, and the like.”
“And where is the one with the book we’re looking for?”This sounded like my kind of job.
“Los Angeles.”Devon had been watching me.I didn’t know when I’d developed the ability to know when his eyes were one me, but I’d felt their weight since he’d entered the room.Not a heaviness, but a gentle presence that said he had my back.Maybe it had been the dreams, and considering the last one, I didn’t realize how comforting his presence had become.
If he was waiting for my reaction to the location or the layout of the building, I wouldn’t disappoint.
“When do we go?”
ChapterTwenty
I relaxedagainst the headrest and stared at the palm trees superimposed against a hazy blue sky.The air was warm, and a breeze blowing through my hair would have been perfect except for the stop-and-go traffic that kept the convertible to a crawl.
Simone’s fingernails tapped out an irritated staccato on the steering wheel.It was hard to believe anyone could be less patient than me in traffic, but considering how fast she preferred to drive, the crawl through Beverly Hills should be enough to flash fangs.
She’d insisted on renting the high-end sports car, even though we had a SUV with a three-vamp security detail at our service.We availed ourselves of the offered vehicle twice, but Simone preferred to be in control, so the SUV followed along at a not so discreet distance.The security team was provided by Carlos Ortega, the alpha vamp of the largest House in SoCal and a strong ally of Devon’s.
Bella and Jacques were also out there somewhere, or so Simone said, although I hadn’t seen them once since we’d arrived four days ago.But everything had been a flurry of activity during that time, and playing tourist, shopping, and clubbing had only been the beginning.Add on excursions to tea houses, one tea party, and a formal private dinner with fifty of one’s closest vamps held in Simone’s honor, and it had been a true whirlwind of activity.
Whenever I had an opportunity to stay in a hotel, I kept my room orderly.On this trip, the two of us shared a penthouse suite in an oceanside resort, and the place looked like it had been tossed by street thugs.Clothes, shopping bags, empty jewelry cases, and shoeboxes were everywhere.To my utter amazement, Simone did wear other things besides caftans, and her fashion maven was in full swing for rubbing elbows with the City of Angel’s elite.
